The American Witch
by Eponine Thenardier
Summary: You want an american hogwarts student? You got her! Meet Caroline Frost going through her first year of hogwarts with Harry Potter. See the Philosphers stone from her point of view.
1. King's Cross station

It was a sunny morning and Caroline Frost had just arrived at Kingcross Station. Her muggle parents had taken the airplane (a muggle's substitute for a broomstick) with her all the way to London, just to see her off. Caroline had a feeling it was because they still didn't believe in the whole wizard deal. However, her parents had always been somewhat supportive and wanted to come with her to wish her well. Caroline was sure their curiosity came into play as well.  
  
"Now, be careful, dear," her mother, Susan, said nervously looking around and handing Caroline the train ticket.  
  
"Now we'll be in London overnight, just in case this is some sort of prank," muttered her father. She caught her mom giving her dad a quick nudge as if to say, "shut up! She's nervous enough already!" . He was a very close minded man, she knew. In fact, she was the only non-Christian member of their family. Caroline always figured it was because he didn't like the idea of someone or something, besides himself, controlling his life.  
  
"Dad!" she started with great frustration. "I'll be fine! We've been through this!"  
  
"Now, remember to keep of with your mathematics while your there. I don't want your mind to turn to mush."  
  
"Yes, Dad..." she replied. Her Dad had made her promise to keep up with things that she had learned at her muggle school, Dorris-Eaton. Caroline was a bright eleven-year-old and so her father had sent her to a very difficult (very expensive) private school. The only thing that really needed to be said to describe the school was its motto: The difference is education. She sighed. Soon she would be away from all that, and her only worry would be how to ride a broomstick. (She had tried this at her home in California and failed miserably.)  
  
"Remember you guys. If you need to contact me, use the owl, kay?" Her parents exchanged nervous glances. After they discovered that she was accepted (and after they finally believed it) they went to Diagon alley in London to pick up her supplies. She had walked through the alleyway completely in awe of the stores and people while her parents, a short distance behind her, walked closely together, afraid that something may jump out at them. She was so entranced by it all that the parents had to drag her out of Flourish and Blots where she could not stop reading the spell books. At the magical creature shop, her parents offered to buy her the animal of her choice. She chose a fluffy barn owl for its practicality. That way she could communicate with her parents throughout the school year. She had named him Big Nipper because he wouldn't stop nipping at her.  
  
"Are you sure you don't want us to walk you to the platform?" her mom asked for the twenty-ninth time.  
  
"Positive," she answered for the twenty-fifth time. Four of the times she merely answered with an exasperated sigh. The last thing she needed was her extremely non-magic parents making a big emotional show in front of all the other students. Her mother and father both kissed her good-bye and reluctantly made their way out of the station. Caroline grasped her heavy trunk full of clothes and books (both new and old). Big Nipper was happily hooting from inside his cage at her feet and her wand, a 12 inch Cherry with unicorn tail, was safely resting atop all the clothes in the trunk. She put her things on a trolley and started to make her way through the station.  
  
Caroline looked at her ticket for the first time. Platform what? That couldn't be right. She kept walking while staring at the ticket. Suddenly, she heard a loud crash and felt the trolley handle jab her stomach. She looked up and saw that she had collided right into another trolley.  
  
"Sorry!" she spat loudly as she rushed over to her hooting owl. She looked up and saw a boy, just about her age wearing glasses that had been wrapped in tape near the nose bridge and clothes that looked three sizes too big for him. Most people would have called him homely, yet his messy black hair and piercing green eyes were strangely attractive to her.  
  
"Oh...er...it's fine really," he drawled. His accent was darling!  
  
He had an owl too, she noticed. That's strange, he's got a trunk a lot like mine too. Then it hit her.  
  
"Are you...?" she looked at him inquisitively. He looked up from his scattered things.  
  
"You mean a...er..." Both were hesitant to finish their sentences, afraid that they would answer wrong and have a lot of explaining to do.  
  
"May I see your ticket?" Caroline asked cautiously. He retrieved it from his pocket and handed it to her. Platform 9 3/4. She knew it!  
  
"Hey, I'm Caroline Frost," she said raising her hand in a stiff wave. He put out his hand for her to shake.  
  
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Harry...Harry Potter." 


	2. Platform 9 and 34

Harry waited for her reaction. Most people's first reactions to his name had been a gasp of shock, a hearty shake of the hand or a disbelieving "no...really?" He'd only been out of the Dursley's house for a couple days and he had already gotten more attention and praise than he had ever gotten in his whole life.  
  
Yet to his surprise, she reacted only with a friendly smile. Her blue eyes had lit up when she saw his ticket; she must be a Hogwarts student too. Was it possible that she had not the faintest idea where she was going either?  
  
"Do you know...how to get to the platform?" she asked shyly placing her long dirty-blonde hair behind her ear. Her accent was American, he noticed. His eyes followed her hand to her hair longingly. He shook it off.  
  
"Haven't the faintest clue," he stated apologetically.  
  
"Maybe we should go find platform 9 or 10 first," she offered.  
  
"Well, er...right," he said nervously. He followed her determined step through the lobby and down the row of platforms. He tried to make conversation.  
  
"You're not from a wizard family are you?"  
  
"No," she said without turning around. "You?" It took Harry a second to realize she was returning the question.  
  
"Er...well," Harry started knowing this would be difficult to explain without asking for pity. Suddenly Harry heard voices behind him. Caroline stopped in her track and turned around grudgingly.  
  
"Caroline, Caroline, we forgot to ask if you wanted to come home for the holidays!" a mother's voice called lovingly.  
  
"That's what owls are for Mom!" she replied, her face pink. Her mom suddenly noticed Harry standing there, trying to form an expression of polite interest on his face.  
  
"Who is this fine man," she questioned her daughter who was trying to tell her mother with her eyes to "Go away!"  
  
"I'm Harry," the boy said extending his hand. "Harry Potter." Caroline's mother had the reaction he had more come to expect. She gawked as she shook his hand delicately.  
  
"Mom!" Caroline said, more embarrassed of her Mom then usual. "Stop starring at him like he's some kind of freak show!"  
  
"Care, do you know who this is?  
  
"Yeah, Mom, it's Harry Potter he goes to my-- ,"  
  
"He's the boy I read about before I left," she continued as though Harry weren't there. "The one who defeated Vol-- well they call him 'You- Know-Who.'" Harry was feeling very uncomfortable now.  
  
Caroline looked at him now. "You're him?"  
  
"Yes," he said shakily. " I just found out today myself."  
  
"That's right!" the mother exclaimed knowledgeably. "You were living with an uncle and aunt of yours."  
  
"Mom, stop telling him stuff he already knows!" Caroline came to his rescue.  
  
"That's all right," Harry offered. She probably knew more about him than he did. Not that this was anything new.  
  
"Well, dear, I need to talk to you really quickly," giving Harry a sideways glance.  
  
"I'll see you at school, Caroline," Harry said. "Nice meeting you Mrs. Frost."  
  
"Bye," Caroline said tenderly in her American accent. With that the mother and daughter turned towards the lavatories leaving Harry to find the platform on his own.  
  
He found platforms 9 and 10 easy enough, but nothing in between. With ten minutes before the eleven he was getting desperate. He asked a conductor, who brushed him off saying, "Kids today...nine and three- quarters...bah!" Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him to do something, like tapping the bricks at Diagon Alley.  
  
Right then a group of people past by, and he heard part of what they were saying.  
  
"-every year packed with muggles, of course"  
  
Harry spun around to see a plump woman talking to a group of four boys all with flaming red hair. The only girl was younger than the rest and hanging on tight to her mother's hand.  
  
"Excuse me," Harry said to the plump woman.  
  
"Hello, dear" she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new too."  
  
She pointed at the youngest of her sons who was tall and thing with freckles and a long nose.  
  
"Yes," said Harry. "The thing is-the thing is, I don't know how to get onto the platform." 


End file.
